Guest view: Boilermaker targets childhood obesity

Thursday

Jan 29, 2009 at 12:01 AMJan 29, 2009 at 4:34 PM

What would you say if you were told that you would live to see your child die? For the first time in this country’s history, we are facing the possibility that children will have shorter life-spans than their parents. The reason: Obesity.

What would you say if you were told that you would live to see your child die?

For the first time in this country’s history, we are facing the possibility that children will have shorter life-spans than their parents.

While this news is grim, Gov. David Paterson’s acknowledgment of the scourge of youth obesity in his State of the State address was a pleasant surprise. Even though the governor’s “soda tax” has stirred some controversy, his focus on healthy foods and youth exercise is encouraging.

For years, the Boilermaker has been pursuing its mission of promoting health and wellness with an element of fun using running and walking as a catalyst. The Boilermaker recognized how our kids fit into this mission and its support of youth fitness has taken many forms.

The Youth Run is open to children ages 4 through 12. The Kids Olympics, organized in conjunction with the Utica Youth Bureau, is for school-age children. The Road Runner Mile features elite milers from high schools and colleges.

One of the centerpieces of our focus on youth is the addition of the Boilermaker School Challenge. This competition focuses not only on the top runners, but total participation of the 7th through 12th grade population in the 15k Race, 5k Run and 3-mile Walk.

The Boilermaker welcomes any focus the governor can bring to the youth obesity issue and encourages parents, youth organizations and educators to give this issue the same attention.

Perhaps if the proceeds of the soda tax were earmarked to support youth wellness initiatives, I, and many others, would find it more palatable.

We can blame youth obesity on a number of causes: soda, the videogame baby sitter, our emergence as a fast-food nation (remember, kids don’t make dinner) or a lack of physical fitness opportunities. However, the cause isn’t the bigger issue. The issue is the health and well-being of our children and our communities.

By changing our choices and influencing the choices of our kids, we can begin the journey to healthier living in a broad sense. The youth obesity problem didn’t happen overnight and its reversal will be measured in years, not months. But the time to address it is now. We need to get our kids moving, active and healthy.

As parents, caregivers and mentors, it is our responsibility to get children to embrace a healthy lifestyle. The choices that our children make will not only affect their own well-being, they will define this community’s future.

The Boilermaker, with its focus on health and wellness and tremendous spirit, is a community event. The Boilermaker has the power to become a community transformer. That transformation begins with the next generation. The responsibility for getting the next generation to understand the importance of healthy living and a healthy community begins with us.